SCIENCE MARCHES

Hokitika Guardian, 9 April 1929, Page 7

SCIENCE MARCHES

SOME NEW MARVELS, SAX FH ANUkSCO. Mnrrli 4. Bndio beacons, marking tlio air rotitoM of the United States, will soon make it possible 'for aeroplanes to fly safely in fog, and passengers to rely on time-tables of the airways, Dr. J. H. Dclinger, chief of the radio section of the United States Bureau o»f Standards, recently predicted to the American Institute of Electrical Engineers meeting in New York. Dr Dellinger fold of a practical test of the radio beacon developed in liis laboratory The day was misty and the weather charts read “ low visibility.” The pilot, who had never flown the route, was relieved of all his maps. His only instructions were to fly from Philadelphia to Washington, using as his guide the radio beacon. The beacon-indicator led him accurately to the College Park Field outside nif Washington. The sudden deflection of his indicator told him his journey was ended, and he landed safely on a field he had never seen. “ The directive radio beacon is a special kind of radio station, usually located at an air port, just off the landing field,” said Dr Dellinger. “Instead of having a single antenna like an ordinary radio station, it has two loop antennas at an angle with each other. Each of these emits a set of waves which is directive, that is, it is stronger in one direction than others. When an aeroplane flies along the line exactly equidistant from the two beams of radio waves it receives signals of equal intensity from the two. if the aeroplane gets off the line it receives a stronger signal from one than the other. “ The indicator on the instrument board of the aeroplane shows when the signals from the two beams are received with equal intensity, by means of two vibrating roods. When the lmim"' signal is received the two reeds vibrato. The tips of these roods are white in a dark background, so that when vibrating they appear as a vertical white line.

DIFFERENT FREQUENCY. “The reed on the pilot’s right is tuned to a frequency of fio cycles, and the one on the left to So cycles. Tt is only necessary 'for the pilot to watch the two wl'ito lines produced by the vibrating reeds. Tf they are equal in length he is on his correct course, if the one on his right becomes longer than the other, the aeroplane has drifted off the course to the right. Tf he drifts off the course to the left the white line on the left become longer. Thus, if the pilot leaves the regular course, either accidentally or to avoid stormy areas, the radio beacon will show him the way hack. The whole receiving system comprises a small indicator unit on the instrument hoard weighing one pound, a receiving set weighing less than lOlli, and a 1011) ball cry. The same receiving set can bo used to receive radio-telephone message. by plugging a pair of headphones.”

RKSTORKS UI'K TO 1)00. Russian scientists, who are trying t’> ascertain how to continue or restore life in mi apparently dead iiody, have conducted experiments with an apparatus designed to perlorm tin* heart functions and thereby continue life while an operation can lx* peelornied on the heart. The work is described in a special dispatch to New ork from .Moscow, in which it. was stated that sober and intensive study of Soviet scientists of the fascinating, yet terrifying problem of li'fe and death at last is producing some remarkable results at the .Moscow Scientific Chemicol>|..,r - —eiitical Institute. In the middle-ages alchemists spent their lives in a vain effort to create artificial life, and it was added that the history of physiology is replete with experiments in attempts to revive dead animals and persons. To-day, in Moscow, probably the most remarkable experiments of this nature are being carried out by earnest young physicians who are'modest in regard to their achievements, and who permitted Press reports only after their work was completely recorded. The experiments have been conducted for the last four years on a high scientific plane, and the Commissariat of Health, impressed by the results has made a generous appropriation to the institute for continuing the work. J)r. S. S. Hrukhanenko and Dr. S. T.

Chechulin arc in charge of the experiments. They have succeeded in croat ing an “artificial heart” which has kept the head of a dog “ alive,” in sc I tir as action is concerned, for its long :, s three and one-half hours. The ox periment Ims been performed before noted scientists. The Moscow dispatch says: “The potentialities of an arti eial heart in the sphere of practical surgery are unlimited, the scientists believe. It was pointed out that if an apparatus can he perfected which would keep a patient alive for even a lew minutes by means of mechanica 1 blood circulation, an operation could bo performed to make necessary surgical repairs on the heart. Dr. Bruk hanenko conducted the correspondent to the laboratory and demonstrated the apparatus. The artificial heart is a prosaic-looking affair of glass, ruhite and metal, attached to a dynamo. Its very simplicity is impressive to Unlay man.

“ Dr Ba'ukhanenko poured water into the central glass reservoir and turned on the current. Soon the heart was visibly ‘ heating ’ and the water was pumped into one set of ‘ arteries, passed through a ‘ breathing apparatus ’ where it absorbed oxygen am’ completed the circuit, being pumped back into the reservoir through anothei set of ‘ arteries.’ The entire action is automatic.”

MAN’S LIFE RESTORED

Even more remarkable wan n letter dispatch from Moscow to New York whereby restoration of life to a human corpse was the startling experiment which has just been successfully pei■formed by two world-famous research physicians of Moscow. It was stated that the body of a man who had been dead twenty-nine hours had been used Although the subject was, not believed to have regained total consciousness feeble human reactions were obtained before the body finally lapsed inideath.

American doctors have beon devoting considerable attention to the dread disease of leprosy with a view to discovering its causes, and now another gravo charge has been laid at the door of tin mosquito, already held responsible for the transmission of yellow l’ever and malaria.

This pest, and its. brothers in iniquity, flies, fleas, bedbugs.'and .'lice, ■ are being considered as possible carriers of leprosy. If this theory proves to he true, it may mean that leprosy, which ha* plagued man since Biblical times, can be, wiped out completely. Studies-are now being carried on in the Philippine Islands by the United States Army Medical Department Research' Board on the role of the mosquito in leprosy transmission. In these experiments an attempt is made to transmit leprosy by mosquitoes. Medical journals carrthe records of several previous experiments in which attempts to transmit leprosy to animals or men were unsuccessful. In only one instance was leprosy transmitted to man. For the present studies, volunteers, and prisoners serving long terms, were selected with the permission of the late Governor-General Wood. Mosquitoes were allowed to feed on lesions of leprosy patients and then to bite the healthy volunteers who were free from leprosy. Sixteen months later the volunteers were still 'tree from leprosy. This is not long enough to rule out the possibility of leprosy developing. However, the volunteers may. not be susceptible to the disease. T lie studies, begun under the direction of. Lieut.Col. Edward B. Vedder, Medical Corps, U.S. Army, are being continued by his successor in Manila. The theory of insect transmission seems the only one that satisfactorily explains bow men become infected with the disease. Contact is not a satisfactory explanation, as very many instances are reported of married couples, one of whom had leprosy, living together ior years without the otlici one acquiring the disease. Climate and density of population 1 1 jive been thought to have some con-, ucction, but they alone cannot be the reasons for the spread of leprosy, Lieut.-Col. Vedder showed by a comparative study of these 'factors with tlie incidence ol leprosy in the l liifippinos. The fact that insects do not always acquire lepra bacilli from feodfng on leprosy patients, and that in the rare instances when they do get these oigunisms tliov do not always immodiateh

bite a well person, may explain why leprosy is not universal even in countries where it is always prevalent.

PA R ALYSIS TREATMENT.

American doctors have been interested in the latest European treatments of paralysis, and Professor Paul Schuster, director of the Hufeland Hospital in Berlin, has expressed the hope- that the recently discovered Banisterin treatment for paralysis will result in a real benefit to victims of the disease. Professor Schuster emphasised, however, that the treatment is in its initial stages at present, and requires considerable further improvement.

“ After encouraging experiments with animals under the direction of Professor Louis Lewin, with whom I have been co-operating,” Professor Schuster said, “ 1 began applying the Banisterin treatment to paralysed patients in the Hufeland Hospital, six months ago, chiefly among sufferers of Parkinsonism and Parkinson disease, 'following cerebral grippe. “The treatment was applied, and if was found injection of a few centigrammes of Bnnisterin improved the patients’ condition, increasing thenfacility to move. Some eases of improvement lasted only a 'few hours. Two cases were permanent, and one patient, who previously was unable to bvss undresß unaided, can now perform such tasks alone. The treatment varies, as it still is ill ail experimental stage. Improvement, however, usually is noticed within 15 minutes after injection.

“ The experiments are conducted for the purpose of finding a suitable substance with which Bnnisterin can he mixed, thereby attaining a bettei effect. Bnnisterin itself is an alkaloid ingredient of a certain liana plant found in mountain terraces ol Ecuador and Peru. It is named after the British explorer who first brought it t' Europe.” PLANE DEVICE LIGHTS FIELD. Now when a pilot riding high in the darkened skies over a pitch-black fie! decides to land lie can light up the ai> field by sounding a siren attached t< his aeroplane. Aii electric cell device on the field picks up the sound waves, which arturned into sufficient electric impulses to turn on all lights on the field. Th new robot was successfully demonstrated in Newark, New Jersey, foui times recently. The air siren and pick-up devices used in the tests were developed for aviation services by Westingliouse engineers. The siren is a wind-driven device whose note may he set for any detcimined frequency. The sound-sensitive apparatus is part of the televox, oi Westingliouse “ mechanical man ” invented by Roy J. Wensley.